The Chicago Bears presented their grand vision for a downtown stadium on the lakefront south of Soldier Field. It would be a domed complex surrounded by numerous renovations meant to serve the fan experience in every capacity. Team president Kevin Warren has made it clear he wants a place that can serve as a year-round destination. It isn’t just about playing host to Bears home games. They want big-time college basketball games and concerts and maybe even host a Super Bowl down the line. Chicago has been left out of such things for too long.
As always, the problem is the cost. Projections have such a project racking up a $5 billion bill. While the Bears have said they and the NFL would foot close to three quarters of that money, they do require contributions from the taxpayers to help fund the infrastructure. Illinois governor J.B. Pritzker has made it clear such a deal is a non-starter. He will not sign off on anything unless he is sure it benefits taxpayers, not just the Bears. Andrew Brandt is a former agent who served as Green Bay Packers’ vice president for a decade. He has an unmatched sense of how business in the league works. He appeared on The Joe Pomp Show to discuss Chicago’s stadium issue.
From his perspective, the state will eventually have to pay up. It just won’t be at the numbers the franchise initially hoped for.
Their announcement of a stadium plan and Pritzker’s rebuttal was nothing more than an opening offer being rejected. It is a safe assumption Bears team president Kevin Warren expected that to happen. The smart thing to do in any negotiation is to come in with a high demand. While it likely will be rejected, there is always the slight possibility it isn’t. From there, the other side will make a counteroffer, and the two parties will soon start moving their way to a middle ground where both can be happy.
Warren has said he hopes for a resolution by the end of this year. That is just over six months away. It seems like a reachable goal. The Chicago Bears now have a good idea of where the state stands. Their next step is revamping the proposal to something more in line with what Pritzker wants without sacrificing the original vision. Brandt seems convinced the local government will cave sooner or later. Partly due to public pressure and also the miniscule danger the team may look to move elsewhere.
Either way, fans can expect progress at some point soon.
